Early Music Essentials

Studies have shown that music has huge positive effects on early childhood development. Exposure to music-singing, playing instruments, dancing, creating melodies, or listening-fosters many early learning capabilities, including: Speech development, Listening skills, Patterning and sequence (early math skills), Rhythm/beat/timing, Social skills, Emotional development, Memory, and Physical coordination.

When you are visiting this page:

  • Try to pick one item from each category to provide a wide variety of music-making experiences.
  • Repeat the same songs on multiple days until they become familiar. I included some they might already be familiar with from music class. Children thrive on this repetition.
  • Once you have some familiar songs, begin to introduce new ones. Try to have a balance between known songs and new ones.
  • Have fun and enjoy this time together!

Vocal Explorations: Use these for a warm-up. Make your voice follow the shape of the picture. Remember to use your light, high singing voice.

Vocal Exploration Pages

Create Your Own

  • Make your own shapes and use your voice to sing them. Try making shapes out of yarn on the floor, pipe cleaners, sidewalk chalk, markers.
  • Toss a ball or beanbag and make your voice follow the curve.
  • Use a flashlight to draw designs to sing.
  • Explore different animal sounds.

Finger Plays and Action Songs: Poems and songs with movements. Many of these are traditional songs you or your child might already know.

Click the thumbnail picture to view the words

Two Little Apples

Five Little Pumpkins

I Have Ten Little Fingers

Ten Little Candles

Ten Little Soldiers

Mr. Lynn

Eensy Wensy Spider

A Sailor Went to Sea

Bling, Blang

The Noble Duke of York

Head, Shoulders, Knees&Toes

Wheels On the Bus

Echo Songs and Fragment Songs: One person is the leader, and the rest give an answer. Sometimes it is an echo. Sometimes it is different. You can use the recordings to learn the songs. Once they know them, let your child be the leader.

Click the thumbnail picture to view the words.

Kin. Hello Song

No More Pie

The Littlest Worm

John the Rabbit

Song Tales: Songs that tell a story. Enjoy listening until you are familiar enough to join in.

This link has a playlist of twelve songs that have been turned into books. You can enjoy listening to the songs while they sing and show the pages. Choose your favorite to listen to enough times to learn the song.

Steady Beat and Movement Exploration

Songs with movements that keep a beat. Click the thumbnail picture to view the words.

Aiken Drum

My Aunt Came Back

Mother Goonie Bird

Chop, Chop

Movement Activities: These activities can be done with any music of your choice

Duet for 2 Body Parts: Choose any two body parts. How many ways can you think of for those two parts to move together? Try moving the close and apart, matching or different movements, touching or not.

Glue Dancing: Choose one body part to be "glued" to the floor/table/wall, etc. The part that is glued can not move from that spot. How can the rest of your body move to the music without moving the glued down part?